Peers ready to drive lazy lords out of parliament if Theresa May agrees to numbers cap

Exclusive: Peers are urging Ms May to commit to a cap of 600 peers that was recommended in a report earlier this year

Peers are ready to drive lazy lords out of parliament, but only if Theresa May is willing to commit to an overall cap on numbers in the upper chamber.

Members of the House of Lords want to start telling colleagues who do not attend often enough that is time for them to step down, The Independent understands.

But they argue that to show the push is credible and working towards an officially sanctioned target, the prime minister must clearly commit to capping the number of lords at 600.

If numbers and costs are reduced, peers think they could even scrap the archaic “per day” payments at the centre of abuse claims and replace them with normal salaries.

It follows Ms May’s failure to push ahead with tougher proposals for reform earlier this year and amid new calls for the Lords to be abolished, as she struggles to pass Brexit legislation through the chamber.

A Lords source told The Independent: “A lot depends on Theresa May. She has made some positive noises, and so far there has been restraint about appointing new peers.

“But until there is a commitment to an overall cap on the size of the House there is a limit to what we can do.

“Once we have a number we can make real proactive efforts to persuade people they should go. There has been some proactive work going on, but we could write to all peers who do not attend often and suggest it is time for them to leave.”

Decades of attempts to reform the Lords have failed for political reasons, with a clear chance missed in 2012 due to squabbling between Liberal Democrats and Tory MPs.

As a result, the Lord Speaker’s Committee spent a year to October 2017 forming a plan to at least reduce the chamber’s size without the need to pass new laws – the idea being it would be easier for any PM to push through.

The committee published a 40-page report recommending slashing the number of peers to 600 in a decade, limiting any peer’s term to 15 years and a new “two out, one in” system to accelerate a reduction in size.

But in February, Ms May said they needed “further careful thought” and instead highlighted her restraint in appointing new peers since arriving in Downing Street, though she also announced a handful of new Tory lords. Overall, numbers on Ms May’s watch have fallen from 812 to 792.

At the time the PM’s response was welcomed as positive, but there are concerns in parliament that more needs to be done to drive the process forward.

A Downing Street source said the government is “working through” the reform plans. The Independent understands the focus will be on restraint in appointing new peers rather than a cap, however.

Senior sources in the Lords also suggested that removing peers proportionately in order to maintain the overall political balance of the house could help persuade peers they would not be disadvantaging their party by leaving.

Another idea to reduce members coming in could be to introduce a new kind of peerage that does not involve membership of the house.

The source said: “Someone like Sir James Dyson could become Lord Dyson – but you don’t want him working in the Lords, you want him developing new technology and running business. That kind of peerage could have very wide appeal.”

Controversy has surrounded the system for paying peers for attendance each day, amid claims in recent years that some lords are abusing it.

Non-affiliated peer Lord Hanningfield said last year that “at least half” of members of the Lords briefly checked in each day only to claim the £300 daily allowance.

But peers believe that cutting their own number would in turn allow them to reform the system, adding: “Whatever happens we should be able to cut numbers in the Lord by at least 75 by the end of this parliament.

“If you were to bring the numbers down you could address the issue of whether it is a part time or a full time House. The per diem arrangements we have at the moment are not satisfactory.

“They are unfair on people who don’t have homes in London. The possibility of salaries could be on the agenda if we can show the costs are coming down.”

There have been new calls to abolish the Lords following stiff opposition peers have given to Ms May’s Brexit plans.

The upper chamber inflicted 13 defeats on the government during the EU Withdrawal Bill’s passage through the upper chamber, including plans to keep the UK in the customs union and single market.